“Well, I have never quite fit in with my family and their passion for horses. When my father sees me arriving astride a beautiful mare, like a queen on procession, he will likely burst with pride.”
“Surely, you don’t believe you can gain your father’s admiration through such a simple act.”
“Oh, it is no small thing. He loves me for who I am, but he has never understood me. He will crow about this for days.”
“Do not get your hopes up. A father’s affection is not so easily won…if there is any at all.”
Nivea brushed off his warning and continued weaving her fantasy. “Of course I have his affection. We are family. We are loved despite our differences.”
This time, Dare did not suppress the snort of contempt. He knew better than anyone the lack of constancy in any relationship, especially within a family. “Please do not bore me with such drivel.”
“Adair Landis, you have been a constant guest of our family for years. How can you even question it?”
“If his love depends on your ability to ride a horse, how can you even consider it?”
She paused a moment, her fingers twisting a stray lock of hair, before she replied, “I am sure you are aware, I am the only one in the family not immersed in equine pursuits. I have never shown any interest or inclination to the subject. I have no doubt, if I had trifled with our footman and foisted a house load of bastards upon him, my father would be more understanding than my lack of interest in horses.”
With that, Dare barked out a laugh. “I’m certain that is not the case.”
She smiled, but it did not reach her eyes. “Perhaps not, but I know my lack of interest has been a disappointment. William and Caroline are much more similar to him. They love to ride horses and play games, while I prefer to sit and observe. Still, while he understands them better, I know he loves me just as much.”
Dare could only shrug in response. She was obviously delusional regarding familial love. True, her family was more accommodating than most, but he’d always thought it was a bit of an act.
He had just raised the cider to his lips when she made the most absurd statement of all.
“Once you have children of your own, you will understand.”
Dare almost choked on his drink, “What!”
Her brows shot up in surprise. “I am certain there is no greater experience than having children. Watching them grow, helping them learn, supporting their interests. I hope someday I am fortunate enough to have a family.”
Remembering his own upbringing, he could not begin to fathom her logic. The thought of having a family be supportive or even desirable was ludicrous. Painful and humiliating, certainly, but supportive? Never.
Determined to set her straight, he wiped the cider from his lips. “Trust me. You are in the ideal position right now. No responsibilities, no worries, and at your age, few expectations.”
“I’m in an ideal position?”
He couldn’t understand why she looked so shocked. “Yes. Society will accept you whether you wed or not. I, of course, must get married and have children. As a peer with a title, it appears to be my sole duty in life. I can win or lose a fortune, commit virtually any crime without repercussions, and spout out as much nonsense as I deem necessary in the House of Lords. But dying without issue is the greatest sin.”
Satisfied he’d made his point, he withdrew his jeweled snuffbox from his pocket, took a pinch, and snapped it shut.
Nivea gave him a tight smile. “And yet you have done neither, married nor had children.
He tipped his head with an ironic twist of his lips. “Too true. Nor do I plan to for a good long time. I rarely do what is expected.”
“Why is that?” Nivea cocked her head.
The conversation had suddenly taken far too personal a turn. He had no intention of explaining himself to her, or anyone for that matter. Without a word, he drew to his feet, brushed the crumbs off his clothes, and strode toward the horses. This misadventure had gone on long enough.
Chapter 6
Nivea had mixed emotions as they arrived at the outskirts of Horsham property. Much as she loved returning home, she had not managed to win Dare over. Despite her best efforts, he was still treating her like a bother. As they plodded through the woods leading up to Vincent Hall, they hadn’t exchanged more than ten words since their picnic.
But when they finally turned up the road to her house, she couldn’t suppress the joy that bubbled up inside her. Vincent Hall was a large, comfortable house, nestled in a side of a hill. The stone structure glowed orange in the afternoon sun, and the windows glinted yellow, like eyes of a contented cat. Beyond the house, she could see the lake, and past it, the forest where they had roamed as children. She sighed with pleasure, reminded yet again how much she preferred her home to the bustle of London.
As they approached the entrance to the house, the Earl of Cheltenham came flying out the door. As usual, his jacket was rumpled, his face flushed, and his brown hair curling willy-nilly around his collar.
He grabbed at her horse’s bridle. “What is this?” he exclaimed, his grin stretching from ear to ear.
“What do you mean, Popa? We are here for Caroline’s wedding. Surely, you were expecting us,” Nivea answered, keeping her voice as nonchalant as possible.
“Yes, but in a carriage, for goodness sake. Whatever possessed you to arrive on horseback?”
She couldn’t help smiling as he stared at her in wonder. “Ah, yes. Well, our carriage broke. In order to arrive on time, we had to ride.”
Without hesitation, the earl tugged her from the horse and gave her a solid hug. He was as surprised as she’d hoped and it brightened her mood. Then he turned his attention to her mount. Giving it a quick appraisal, he patted its neck fondly. “Nice piece of horseflesh. I will have to learn of its bloodline. I’d wager it’s got a bit of Daltrey’s Devilment in it,” he murmured to no one in particular.
Well used to her father’s obsession, Nivea took no notice. Her attention was diverted by Dare as he leapt from his horse and handed it off to a groom. Despite his aloof behavior, her heart still raced seeing him stride over, all long legs and strong shoulders.
He gave her father a curt bow. “Lord Horsham, I confess we had a bit of a mishap, but I deliver you your daughter, unscathed.”
The earl turned toward her escort, his face a mixture of bafflement and joy. “Lord Landis, sir, I must say I have never been more surprised in all my life.” He clapped Dare on the shoulder and might have pulled him into a hug if Dare hadn’t stepped out of his reach. Too delighted by the afternoon’s turn of events, her father took no notice. “I don’t know how you did it, but I have to thank you for accomplishing a miracle. Bringing my Nivvy along on horseback…this is like unexpected gold in my pocket.”
“Really, Popa! You’re embarrassing me.”
Unfazed, the earl pulled her close and bestowed a loud kiss on her forehead, before turning again toward Dare. “You have given my daughter her birthright. I could not be happier.”
He linked arms with them both and propelled them toward the house. “Now then, the rest of the party is here, more or less. I will give you a chance to freshen up and then you must join us in the parlor.”
They walked inside, and stopping in front of the staircase, the earl gave her another squeeze. “My girl, today you have given me the greatest present of all. I may be losing Caroline, but seeing you ride up, I feel as though a guardian angel has now blessed me with a whole new family member.”
Dare leaned back and catching her eye, quirked an eyebrow. She gave a small, knowing shrug and headed up to her room. It was good to be home.
It wasn’t long before Nivea slipped into a bath to wash off the dust of the travels. As she was drying off, her maid, Emma, brought in a fresh dress for the evening. After pulling the garment over Nivea’s head and beginning to work the buttons, Emma exclaimed, “Oh, Miss Nivea, this gown will not do. Look how much room it has. Have you been sick? I cannot
pull it tight enough to wear.”
“No Emma, I have not been sick. I think I have finally found an advantage to riding. After years of attempted starvation, I found a little exercise helped me slim down a tad.”
“Oh, this is more than a tad, my lady. You’ve dropped almost half a stone. I will need to take in this dress afore you can wear it. Let me find another one that we can make work.”
She prowled through the closet and retrieved another gown, rose-colored, with a pale overskirt of mauve. Pulling it over Nivea’s head, she cinched it up to make it fit. “There, much better. It may be a few years old, but it looks lovely. Now, let me add a little curl to your hair and you’ll be perfect.”
Feeling rather triumphant, Nivea headed downstairs to join the guests. She could hear the chatter of conversation before she’d made it down the stairs. Entering the room, she saw it was packed full of guests, eager to join the celebration of Caroline and Nicholas’s nuptials. She recognized most of the faces, but sought out her sister and mother first. They were standing to the right of the doorway and waved her over.
“Nivvy, there you are! I was starting to worry about you.” Caroline greeted her with a hug. Her sister was most visibly a Horsham, with a stocky figure and plain brown hair. But her face was aglow with love.
Nivea returned the hug and then gave her stepmother a light squeeze. Slender and elegant, with blond hair that fell in well-tamed waves around her shoulders, there could be no doubt Amelia was the earl’s second wife. She had known the earl when they were children. It was only when she’d brought her daughters, Abby and Constance, to London, following the death of her husband, that the two had been reunited. With a demeanor as sweet as her face, the Horshams had been happy to welcome her into the family.
“I heard from the earl you had quite an adventure,” Amelia said.
“Yes, the carriage broke down outside of Norwalk and we had to proceed without it.”
“And you had to ride a horse for three days? How on earth did you survive?” her sister exclaimed.
“I’ll admit, the first day was agony, but by the end, I’d quite gotten the hang of it. In fact, after seeing Popa’s expression when I rode up, it was almost worth it!’
They all giggled at the thought.
“What are you three laughing at?”
“Abby! How good to see you.” Nivea turned as her stepsister and her husband, Lord Godwin, joined them. “Thomas, welcome. I’m glad you both could come.”
“We wouldn’t have missed it,” Abby responded. “It is a wonderful excuse to bring our families together.”
“Speaking of family, Mama, I was hoping you could go upstairs and sit with Lizzie and Jamie,” Abby said. “They refuse to take a nap without a kiss from grandmamma.”
“Certainly. If you’ll excuse me.” Amelia smiled and darted for the door.
“She loves spending time with those two. No matter what trouble they cause, she treasures them. I don’t know why she’s so tolerant,” Abby mused.
“Probably because they remind her of her own darling daughter,” her husband responded with a wry smile.
She looked at him sweetly and patted his cheek, oblivious to the scar that crossed his face. “You may be right.” Turning to Nivea, she explained, “I was a bit of a wild child growing up, always outside running and riding. It drove Mama crazy. Now, my two are no better.”
Thomas took her hand and squeezed. “But she loves you all, and so do I.” Despite social convention, he kept his hand wrapped around hers as they stood there.
They were a handsome couple. Both had rich chestnut hair, piercing eyes, and an athletic grace that Nivea envied. They fit in well with the Horsham family. Abby loved horses and Thomas had been friends with William since they were schoolboys. The couple had met the year Thomas had resigned from his regiment to assume his title as Earl of Devonshire, and they quickly had become inseparable.
Well used to their displays of affection, Nivea returned to her conversation with Caroline. “So, who else is here, Caro?”
“Almost everyone. Nicholas’s family and friends are here, including Lord and Lady Wilshire.” She made a face. “It’s not him I mind so much, but his wife is awful. Then there’s Briar and Joseph, William and Betsy, of course. Betsy looks quite marvelous considering she just had a babe.”
“I’m sure the joy of having the first son in a generation has made things much easier for her.”
“Yes, her da’ could never accept that he had four daughters and her ma never forgave her for being a bluestocking. Until now, that is.”
They all smiled, except for Thomas who obviously wasn’t paying any attention.
“If you don’t mind, luv, I am going to go join the men so you and your friends can talk.” Thomas gave his wife a squeeze and headed off.
“I hope Nicholas still looks at me like that after we get married,” said Caroline wistfully.
“I just hope I can get someone to look at me that way ever,” mourned Nivea.
Abby hugged her. “Don’t worry, your time will come. Someday a fine, young gentleman will be smart enough to see your amazing qualities.”
Nivea sighed, not at all certain. Considering no one had noticed in her first five seasons, there was no reason to believe anyone would appear now.
Feeling a little uncomfortable with the conversation, she excused herself to greet her brother. William was standing near the window with his friend, Lord Duxbury. In the past, Joseph had favored the brightest of outfits, but since he had settled down with Thomas’s sister Briar, he had developed a more sedate appearance. Tonight, he was attired all in gray, but as she approached, an enormous ruby pin sparkled in his cravat. It appeared he was not completely reformed.
The two men could not have looked more different. As always, her brother appeared as though he’d just rolled out of bed. His grey houndstooth jacket was patched and baggy, his brown hair loosened from his queue, and his boots hadn’t seen a brush in over a fortnight. Nivea loved him, but was amazed how cavalier he was about fashion. How easy it was to be a man.
She returned his hug as he greeted her. “Nivvy, welcome home! I trust you survived the trip from London all right. Lord Landis was no doubt a perfect gentleman?”
He did not notice the flash of pain his teasing caused. Nivea knew she was virtually the only woman Dare would treat respectfully, and that wasn’t a compliment.
She was tempted to snap a retort, when a male voice behind her responded, “Yes Horsham, your sister was in good hands. We had a bit of an adventure, but arrived intact.”
As he joined the circle, Dare took a pinch of snuff from his jeweled box, his attention fixed on his male cohorts.
Would it kill him to acknowledge her? If she had been any other woman, he would have cast a sly glance at her, perhaps brushed a hand over her arm, letting her know he’d enjoyed the time with her. But no, he found her invisible.
Oblivious to her irritation, William chuckled. “Yes, yes, I’d heard. Father said you had to ride here…on horseback, no less. Nivvy, I never would have expected it of you. Quite the shock I must say. Landis, you must have had the fight of your life getting her to agree to that. What did you do, douse her with laudanum and toss her over your saddle?”
Dare gave a half smile before responding. “No, nothing quite so dramatic. After some initial protest, she handled herself quite ably.”
“Initial protest, my arse. She must have cursed a blue streak at the prospect.”
Oh, dear Lord. Nivea flashed her brother a look of annoyance. Couldn’t he, for once, build her up in front of Dare?
Too embarrassed to remain, Nivea forced a smile and excused herself to join her favorite aunt, Mildred, at the other end of the room.
A few minutes later, warm fingers stroked her elbow and she jumped. Turning to see who had startled her, she fell into Dare’s dark, hooded gaze. Her pulse kicked up.
“Excuse me,” he purred silkily at Aunt Mildred, “I would like a minute to speak with Miss Ho
rsham. Do you mind?” Then he flashed a devilish grin at the old dear, bringing a definite blush to her cheeks. Nivea had to choke down a smile as Mildred stuttered her response. “No…not at all. I’m sure she would much rather talk with you than me.”
Now it was Nivea’s turn to stammer. “Oh, no Auntie—you know—”
“Hush, just go,” ordered Mildred as she waved her away.
Dare took her arm and drew her aside. Once alone, he leaned close enough for her to feel his breath on her ear. “I owe you an apology.”
“What do you mean?” Her heart raced at his nearness.
“All that with your family. I realize you may have been right regarding your family’s opinion. Trifling with the footman might have been less of a shock than your horse riding.”
She chuckled. “I did warn you.”
“Well, I’m pleased I was able to restore your honor within your family.”
“Yes, you will forever be a legend in Horsham family lore. You have my deepest gratitude.” She curtsied.
“That has always been my most sincere desire in life.” With a twist of his lips he offered her a quick, sardonic bow, before turning to join the other guests.
Flushing with pleasure, Nivea stood there a moment, watching him. That was one of the nicest conversations she’d had with Dare in years. Maybe the trip had been a success. With a light heart, she rejoined the party.
Chapter 7
Dare congratulated himself.
He’d done quite well showing William nothing improper had occurred with his sister during their travels. It hadn’t, of course, but he did have to admit to certain uncomfortable thoughts about her, as unexpected as they were unappreciated. She was a nice enough girl, but it wasn’t as though she was his usual fare. She was an unmarried miss, not to mention his best friend’s sister. He couldn’t very well go lusting after her.
Determined to put her out of his mind, he turned his attention to more appropriate quarry. While the Horshams were known more for their sportsmanship than their love of fashion, they still had managed to invite a promising crop of ladies. Some were acquaintances from London, and others were fresh faces, no doubt from nearby land. A number were sneaking glances at him from behind fans or around shoulders, twittering with glee. Sometimes, it was almost too easy.
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